Anger Allowed  

In an effort to get a handle on my emotions — the bouts of sadness, melancholy — she’d recommended I track different feelings that came up for me.

I’d been diagnosed with a physical illness, and had done some necessary grieving work. But still, the depression persisted, and it seemed there was no particular rhyme or reason to my triggers.

Sad, Mad, Glad, Scared: Mimi had written the four primary emotions on the top of the chart, encouraged me to jot down situations that triggered those feelings, and the physical sensations that accompanied them.

Ever the good student, the columns extend all the way down the page; all except one. The label “mad” is conspicuously empty.